Masterly! And Farewell!
A New Destination "...I understand now." As Kisara awoke in the real world, in front of the group, with a set of swirling tattoos on her forearms. "...Whoah...." Mina looked on at Kisara in awe. "What...these markings..." Sanger was smiling brightly. "Very good, Kisara. You aren't dead, I am very impressed. How do you feel?" Kisara stretched her ams. "...Like something's different about me. I'm not sure what, though..." "...You look like one of those tribal magic warriors from comic books right now. ...Only with less markings. I do believe that we're done here, correct?" Marin lazed around, stretching her arms while yawning. "Not quite." Sanger raised a hand as if to tell Marin to calm down. "Now, choose an elemental spell of your choosing, and combine it with the Magia Erebea. We will see, right here, if the magic is compatible with your body." "...Huh." Kisara opened one of her palms, while manifesting a small spark of fire within it. "Stagnet!" The moment that the spark began to die down, Kisara clenched her fist around it. "Complexio!" The force of fire and flames surrounded her figure, as the element of fire shot through her figure, modifying her body into that of the fire element. "Supplementum pro "Armationem..." "Very nice." Sanger looked at the girl's new form with pleasure. "I'm very happy to see you have succeeded in this endeavor, Kisara." "This...this is actually really cool..." Mina was still in awe. "Melissa, what do you think about all of this?" "This is magic, right? A bit too complicated for me, but I suppose it does look pretty neat." Simple as that; Melissa was surprised that she didn't leave after her little stint. It was as if she was drawn to this trio. Kisara wasn't focused on that. "...So this is the result of me and Jack merging? I like it." "M-merging!?" Sanger repeated, actually surprised this time, but he quickly regained his composure. "You are an interesting child. Using a magic that would keep you on the path of the darkness...you created a grey path for yourself. I am actually quite proud of you." Marin yawned, "So, nothing is impossible? That sounds just about right in my books." "So, do you have any goals from here on out?' Sanger inquired. "I am under the impression you all decided to come to the tournament simply on a whim. Are you just on a journey to see where life takes you?" "Actually...pretty much." Mina shrugged. "We don't have any real goals, and Marin and I can't get married yet, she's not 18 yet...but we do have an idea of what to do next. Marin was tossing the idea back to me last night, while we were...um..sleeping, yeah, sleeping. She wants to visit the Makai." Marin nodded. "That's right! I wanna see my sister again..." Once she muttered that, she suddenly remembered the sensation of that woman's overly-large boob pressing against her face as if mocking her. "...Actually no. ...Let's just go anyway." "I see..." Sanger stood up, pulling his hood back over his head. "So you intend to go to the Makai..." He cast a look at Kisara for a moment, as if wishing he could keep an eye on her longer. "I can get you there the easiest. I regret the fact that I cannot go with you. I am interested in seeing how Kisara progresses, if only to keep her safe. However..." He saved his hand, creating what looked like a large portal. "The Makai is under the supervision of the Other World, and, there are actually quite a few large barriers preventing higher-class demons from getting through." The portal widened, like a mouth, as if waiting for the girls to step in and become it's food. "So...we won't register?" Mina asked curiously. "Not in the slighest. You are all too weak." "Is that why you can't travel with us?" Mina once again turned her curiousity into a question. "Not quite. I'm bound to this plane, and to this general area of the planet. I can't leave even if I wanted to." Kisara nodded. "Well, I'll see you later, then." Sanger allowed the hole to open wide enough to accept them all. "I'm looking forward to postcards, Kisara." He said, as the girls readied themselves, and jumped straight into the portal, which losed with a clamp. He sighed. "So....are you really alright with this, Mizuzu?" The elderly woman came into view. "...Sanger, I do not see why it would be any problem. Those two, Mina and Marin, are strong-hearted and trustworthy. Kisara, however, you're going an incredible job of setting her on the right path. I have faith in all three of them, and they shall not let me down." "I value that girl like a daughter." Sanger stared at where the portal had closed. "However...there are things you still hide from them, despite the faith you claim to put in them. And, no matter how much I place Kisara on the obvious path...there's still a shadow looming over her that I cannot control..." The gruff old woman smiled at him with a surprisingly serene expression. "...All you must do is have faith. Instinct shall never prevail over loyalty." "Then I shall put my faith in her as well." Family Reunion "WHOA!!" Mina shrieked as they were thrust out of the portal...and right into the sky, falling downwards into the strange, dark world of the Makai. "This is really inconvenient!" She continued to shriek as she pushed her skirt down against the updraft. "We're falling, what do we do!?" Kisara sighed. "...Levitate." Instantly, an invisible platform of magical energy manifested underneath the trio, spreading out widely to soften their fall. "...I have a feeling that by the end of this I'll be using Levitate a lot." "W-wait...now that I think on it, I could have just made a reishi platform." She slammed her palm into her head, before realising this hurt. "Waaaahhh....Marin, I'm stupid and I hurt myself..." She cried into the girl's chest. Marin patted Mina's back. "...That really sounds like something I'd say. Are you sure you're feeling well? I mean that's really not something you'd say..." "Because it was stuuuupid!" Mina whined, removing her face from her girlfriend's cleavage. "I could have taken control of the situation...." Kisara guided their platform down onto a large cliff, which overlooked the barren, and rather desolate, world that was the Makai. "....Okay, this is depressing." Mina frowned. "Let's see....red sky....barren soil....thunderclaps...so this is where my Marin's family is from. ...Still better than Mexico." Marin sighed. "Don't be racist. It's mean. Those poor sub-humans should be treated like the people with that final solution stuff- one fell swoop should kill them all...I don't even know what I'm saying..." "Anyway..." Mina looked out onto the desolate horizon. "Any idea of where we're gona head Marin? Some species usually can tell where their home is, even if they've never been there. Like birds, or fish. Are you a bird demon?" She hoped Marin had some sort of telepathic link, it'd be so convenient. Marin answered bluntly, "I'm a succubus-type demon, thankyouverymuch. Not really sure of what they do, but if I remember correctly, Sister said something about 'talent'." As she mouthed the words 'talent', she pressed her hand to her chest lightly, as if aware of the implications. Kisara looked at her own lacking assets and snarled, "...Shut up, you blood-sucking witch. Let's just go, tch..." Yeah, she was damn pissed off. "Well, I guess we're running blind here." Mina frowned. "We basically have three humans, and a half demon. And we're stuck in the world of demons. We did not think this through." Marin pulled out her cellphone. "No problem. I can just call-" she began to dial. ...No reception. "...oh come on, dial you stupid thing..." She madly mashed the numbers, annoyed now. "...Grr...no reception. Now what do we do?" "hey, you." A sudden jolt zapped through Marin's mind. "...Ehhhhhhhh!?" Marin suddenly jumped a few feet in shock- it was a taunting, familiar voice. "Listen up. About a few miles from here...who am I kidding. You know where you used to live. Now, go back home, you idiot. I need to talk to you." The telepathic conversation ended. Marin said outloud, "Guys, about a mile from here, we'll reach one of the castles of the Three Demon Kings. It's important, so let's hurry." "So...we're just going to run through demon territory and hope we don't get mauled?" Mina asked, as if everyone should be questioning it. Marin nodded. "Uerm...I think that's what's about to happen. Look on the sunny side; Makai, despite looking like a world of death, doesn't seem so dangerous." ---- The journey actually hadn't taken as long as Mina had expected, nor had it been as dangerous, and they reached the castle Marin told them about fairly quickly. Mina whistled. "I suppose demons have a different taste in architecture, because this looks a tad screwy." She was right, of course, the castle they were looking at wouldn't be considered a castle by human standards. While it had the size, it seemed to be made solely out of rock, with towers jutting out in the oddest of places. Perhaps the interior was better? Marin took charge; "Okay, I used to live here- we'll be fine. Just...follow-ACK!" As she was walking across the drawbridge, she happened to slip on a banana peel. "...Grr....who the heck left this there? It's, as, if, somebody deliberately left this there because they knew exactly what I was going to do..." she rubbed her butt; growling intensely before hopping to her feet. "...Ignore that; let's just go. I'm going to smash that bitch's face in..." Immediately, her mood soured. "Marin, don't be mean...." Mina insisted. "So...do we get a welcoming comittee?" Marin, still in a grumpy mood, growled, "Probably not. Knowing that airbag bitch, she's going to screw around with us for a bit...I think she needs a good slap in the face." She crossed her arms, letting out a snarl befitting for a rabid animal while slamming the gate doors open, storming in with a twisted expression that made it seem like she'd kill somebody. Kisara sighed. "Marin, calm down. Surely, she can't be as bad as you say. I mean, you're damn lucky that you have family that still keeps in touch with you, for one. Mina's dad and her have a rocky relationship, and I...well, yeah, you know. You should cherish what you have this day, and don't let it go. Anyway, let's just go inside and see what we need done, okay?" "Ohohohohohohohohohohoho! Welcome to my crib, MTV- I mean, welcome!" The one who greeted them with a burst of flame flanking her sides was woman of average height. She had horns and long, flowing red hair reaching some way down past her shoulders, similar to her hair, she had deep, ruby colored eyes. She wore a long, red robe that reached down to her feet, the robe had an open front, revealing her ample cleavage. This robe had a feathery collar, similar to a boa; and a red diamond pattern running along it's black sleeves. The front of the dress featured a large orange stripe framed by smaller black stripes and she had a small bow on the front of her dress below her breasts. This woman was a stunning beauty. Marin snarled angrily, snapping, "You and your flashy entrances. Why the hell did you bring us here, Mashiro..." As the Demon King ran towards her half-sister, Marin swung a punch at her face- but Mashiro evaded and managed to tackle-hug her from behind, knocking the both to the ground. Mina was at a loss for words. "T-this is Marin's older sister? They're hu-I mean, she's tall!" She seemed slightly dazed by the woman's physical appearance. "Um....can you please get off my girlfriend." She tried tugging on Mashiro's collar to pry her off Marin. Mashiro's funbags temporarily managed to smother Marin; who was comically choking. "Ohohohohoho! So good to see you again..." "Moronic woman, you're choking me alive!" Marin squealed loudly. Melissa, out of nowhere as if via teleportation, managed to break the two up via magnetic repulsion. "...It seems that Mashiro's airbags seem to have a positive attraction. They possess their own magnetic force." "U-uh..." Mina was stuttering now, utterly dumbfounded by the insanity going on. For once, she felt like she was Kisara, the only sane woman surrounded by idiots. "E-everyone, I think we're getting a little derailed here! Didn't we come here for something!?" Her voice got stronger after she finally got over the idiocy of the situation. Mashiro straightened up. "Ahem! As you know, I am Mashiro Sawashiro-" "...Your last kanji in both of your names are the same!" Melissa pointed out mockingly. "...Silence. Anyway, I have a little job for you four..." "A...job?" Mina repeated. "Is it something you can do, and are just too lazy to do?" Mashiro complained, "No, you don't get it. I can't do it because I'm currently busy with other affairs." "Such as grooming yourself- ow!" As Marin tried to get in a deadpan comment, Mashiro smacked her over the head. "As I was saying, it seems that the second of the Three Demon Kings is becoming corrupt with their power...I think it would be best if they were thrown out of this world...permanently. So I'm sending you four on a mission; to assassinate to Second Demon King." Kisara sighed. "Why is it that we're always the ones to assassinate people? Did you ever think that sending teenagers to kill people was unethical?" "She's a demon." Mina pointed out as if it was obvious. "I don't think her morality is the same as a humans." Explaining, "I used to be human. Long story, but that's the gist,", Mashiro continued, "I can understand the unethicalness of such a request. However, this is of dire importance. If we don't stop this man, then the Makai will be thrown into ruin..." "I hate to be the snarky one, but..." Mina gestured to the world as large. "This dimension already looks like it's thrown into ruin, really. How much damage can a foul king do to...well, a place like this?" Mashiro growled at Mina, "Grr... If you haven't noticed, we all live underground. I just sit in the castle to watch out for attackers- and subsequently dispatch them. There's entire cities underground; you just need to open your mind a little and imagine, you uneducated little shit." Kisara's eyes widened; stepping back a few. "...Wow, she just went from comatose to bitch in three seconds flat." "Fine, fine." Mina sighed. "How do we get to this castle? You can't expect us to run." Mashiro swung around and tapped Kisara in the forehead; despite the small motion, she managed to send Kisara flying through a wall. "Silence. Anyway, I have a teleporter ready, but it's a one way trip. Depending on your success or not, I may come and get you." Kisara picked herself up and returned to the quartet of people. "...Did she just hit me like somebody out of a comic book!?" Mina looked over at Marin. "Do you want to do this?" She asked. "I mean...your sister seems a bit like a jerk-" She increased the volume of her voice so the girl could hear her. "-but we don't have anything immediately to do, and coming here was your idea." Marin growled at Mina, "I know it was my idea. But now I'm immediately regretting it...every time I look at her, I just want to punch her lights out..." "We may as well..." Mina frowned. "It's weird....despite my snarking, I'm beginning to feel a bit...at home." She felt a little disturbed at the thought. She'd never been here before, the place looked like hell, and yet she was feeling comfortable, the longer she stayed here. Why? Marin shook Mina lightly. "Hey, hey. Mina. Snap out of it, will ya? You've never been here before. I have- it's like Mexico but with demons. Settle down...You're scaring me." "Sorry, Marin." Mina shook her head, trying to regain her composure. "It's just an odd, relaxing feeling. I only usually feel this way when you're around. Anyway, standing here and talking isn't gonna get us anywhere. We children have to go assasininate a big bad demon king, because apparently this is something kids can do." Marin grumbled at her sister, "Because a certain somebody's too lazy to do it herself...." Mashiro smirked evilly. "Ohohohohohoho! Well, I won't confirm nor deny anything, but I do need your help on this one." She withdrew an odd-looking spherical device from her dress, which seemed to glow. "Activating in three...two...." she tossed it to Marin, who held onto it- it also locked onto Mina, Melissa, and Kisara's signals. "One!" Instantly, the quartet was whisked away in a flash of light. Three Kings As they traveled, the sensation was odd, they seemed to be merged with the light, free from the rest of the world...before being cruelly dropped onto the ground as the light materialised them on the outskirts of a large city. The city itself was slightly futuristic looking, with large, chrome-like buildings decorating every inch of it. "..Wow. They managed to get creepier." Mina was looking at the city with an air of unease. "Chrome buildings? Really?" Kisara snarked, "Of course. Everything is Chrome in the future. But seriously, this is a jarring step-up from what we just saw." Even Melissa looked rather surprised by this city, while Mina yawned a bit. "Alright...so we have to assassinate the Demon King...I think we're as ready as we'll ever be, so let's move into this city." Melissa added in, "It's like people have been ignoring me...I feel like I'm a side character..." Marin slapped Melissa on the back. "Cheer up. I was kinda expecting you to ditch us afterwards. I'm happy that you still want to hang around." The group began to move, running straight into the city without tripping any alarms. Apparently, a group consisting of solely girls wasn't going to attract too much attention. They took stopped in the city center, resting their legs for a minute, and decided to whisper plans to each other. "So...now that I think on it...where is the castle?" Mina was surprised that she was just now wondering where it was. Melissa pointed ahead. "Quite possibly, up that hill." The clouds surrounding the road upwards were a pulsating crimson; an ominous sign. "...Either I have an eye for these things, or everyone else is too thick." Mina looked towards the road Melissa gestured to, squinting her eyes. "So odd...I can barely see a cloud cover...but I guess I can see your point, that red glow is obviously a sign saying 'evil, up ahead'." She took a seat on the chrome ground. "Maybe I'm tired...Marin, can I have a piggyback ride?" Marin's eyes lit up. "Yessssssssss~" They seemed to sparke illustriously- as she grabbed Mina and lifted her into her arms, beginning to run while laughing happily. "...What." Melissa couldn't say a word at this. "Marin's back is so wide and comfortable..." Mina was drifting in and out of a state of drowsy bliss. Sadly, this was interrupted as they reached their destination, though Mina was in no quick hurry to slide down from her perch. "Are were there yet?" "...Yes, we're there. Now..." By a slip-up, Marin dropped Mina like a rock. "Let's go in!" She was too excited. Mina cried out from falling, and looked like she was actually about to pout. "Marin, that was rather mean.." She grumbled, standing up, and then suddenly clinging to Melissa. "Maybe I should date Melissa instead?" Marin flash-stepped over to Melissa and grabbed her by the throat, attempting to choke the life out of her. "Don't you fucking dare go near my Mina....I'll fucking strangle you to death you worthless cuntshit...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" "Marin-chan, stooooop!" Mina grabbed her arms and stopped her from stangling Melissa. "I was joking, calm down. I just wanted to see how you'd react. Kinda regret that now." Marin clenched her fist, snarling at Mina like a rabid animal, "You damn well better...But I'd never hurt you. I'd never, ever, ever, ever, ever hurt you..." Her voice sounded creepy as her eyes became blank. Melissa fell and immediately started backing off, whispering, "...And that is why I'm going to stay away from you from now on..." The girls decided to make a move into the castle, but quickly stopped when they saw the plethora of guards, and sucked out of sight. "Okay, how do we handle thiis?" Mina asked Kisara. "We're supposed to kill the king, I don't want to go killing unecessary people as well." Kisara pointed out, "Hey, I'm all for killing. You're talking to the girl with a darker side. But we should use a combination of timing and stealth to get to the king ASAP, then we can take them down." "Stealth..." Mina thought that over. "Actually, if we can use stealth, I think we can avoid them completely." She formed a large tassle in her hands made out of pure reishi, smiling a bit, and began to twirl it. "Stand back and watch me work." She threw the tassle high into the air and it landed in one of the windows, the spiked ending attaching to the sill. Mina pulled on it, and found it was firm. "Now we can scale the sides!" Melissa aiming one of her guns upwards, firing a grappling hook from the barrel which latched on firmly to the roof. "I don't trust the powers of mere spirits. I have my own ways." She firmly planted her feet into the side of the castle, and began to walk up it. Marin latched onto Mina's back, telling her to "Hurry up before I slip off..." Her breasts slipped through and sort of concealed Mina's eyesight. Mina let out a sigh of bliss at this, before turning towards Kisara - not that she could see, with Mina's tits blocking her eyes. "What about you, Kisara?" Kisara's eyes became feral as she latched onto Melissa's back, whispering in a deep tone, "Hurry up." it was less of a threat of violence and more of a threat of something else. Melissa squealed, "Aaaaaaaaaaah!" She was fearing for her life. Somewhat dissonantly, Marin chuckled when she witnessed this. "Looks like you got more than you bargained for, huh?" Melissa turned to Marin,glaring at her. "Shush, you!" The girls continued to scale the walls, climbing as quietly as possible so as not to attract attention. With a decent amount of effort, they had reached halfway up the tower, and were beginning to wonder who in the seven hells had designed this building. "This...is way too tall..." Mina wasn't having an easy job of it anyway, with Marin resting on her back being of no help at all but to provide cushions. Marin attempted to move her bosom away from Mina's eyes. "Just a little more...! I think we can make it...unless we fall, obviously..." "Oof!" Mina grunted as she continued to scale the wall. This noise, however, was much louder than she had anticipated, and it carried well. "What was that!?" One of the demon guards from well down below hissed to his fellows. "Sounded like a grunt. Was it one of you?" "No, we don't have women!" Another hissed. "OVER THERE!" One of them pointed to the walls the girls were scaling. "A group of, from what I can see, humans, climbing the King's tower!" "We've been found out!" Mina called out to everyone. "QUICK, IN A WINDOW!" Kisara quickly leaped into the window; jumping over Melsisa- though she instantly grabbed Melissa by the collar, dragging her with her. "And out we go!" Marin clutched Mina's arm and performed a spinning roll; throwing the Quincy into a window and following. "...I think we should've been a bit...stealthier..." "I think it's a bit late for that now." Mina sighed as they crashed into the stone castle, tucking and rolling. "Now we have to worry about finding this "king" and killing him before he retreats." Kisara sighed, pointing out, "Notice how every time something happens that's bad, we have to kill somebody? You'd think they wouldn't make teenagers into private assassins..." "Let's just focus on trying to-!" "THEY'RE AT THE HIGHER FLOOR!" A voice a few floors below was apparently loud enough to actually carry up to the floor they were on. "CATCH THEM!" "..Oh for the love of, can they not let me finish a sentence?!" Mina groaned. "We need to move, now!" A sly grin crossed Melissa's face. "How about we just blow them sky-high, huh?" She quickly drew her guns from her pockets, twirling them around on her fingers. Kisara smacked Melissa over the head, growling, "Shut up and let's move." She was...certainly blunt. Maybe this was the effect of the personality merge and Magia Erebea training? "We're not blasting this castle to kingdom come!" Mina hissed, pressing down on Melissa's arm. "Let's just move!" They followed her barking orders, running along the stone pathways, heading upwards towards the tip of the castle. Suddenly, the castle began to rumble, as if it were alive. Marin couldn't help but comment, "Everything involves a stupid amount of running...I wish that dumb idiot would have just teleported us up to the king so we could take care of them that way...." She sighed in disbelief, "It feels like she's the foolish sibling, and I'm the responsible one..." Nonchalantly remarking with a sarcastic tone, "I think you're both equally scatterbrained~" Melissa recieved a swift whack on the head for her troubles as Marin almsot kicked her legs in for that remark, furious. Kisara wasn't happy. "Will you two just shut up, and run? Since you've met, all you've done is fucking argue like little kids. Act your damn age." ...It was about time she went into 'strict' mode. "You guys...I think we have a problem...!" Mina began tugging on Marin's arm in earnest. Marin turned around. "...Huh?" "Forget it." Mina sighed. Suddenly, their hair began to rise, and it was quite apparent why she had said "Forget it" as they suddenly began to feel the sensation of falling. "Trapdoors!" Mina shrieked as she pressed her skirt down to prevent it from rising. Unable to stop, they crashed several floors below, protected only by a cushion of reishi Mina had created. "Ugh.....waaahhh..." She seemed to be groaning. Marin rubbed her butt in annoyance. "...How did I not see that coming...." Melissa flailed around like a small child, crying, "Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh~!! It's not faaaaaaaaair! It's like everything is out to get meeeeeeeee!" Marin smacked her in the back of the head. "Quit fooling around." "So you four are the "would-be-assassins." A voice broadcasted itself throughout the entire chamber. "I'm so glad you could drop in, and you will understand if we cannot let even little dregs like you see his Majesty without a prior scheduled appointment and three months of additional background screening." He chuckled. "If you would kindly remain in the waiting room for the next year, we will make sure to move your request along." Kisara's hair suddenly stood on edge. "...The hell is this!?" She glanced around, surveying the area. "...Tch. No escape..." "No exit at all." The voice chided. "Now...I actually don't think you can see his Majesty at all right now. It would appear you're all tied up at the moment." "...What?" Mina groaned. "We don't have time for your various jokes about our inability to make appointments!" "Oh no, I was being quite literal." The voice seemed to be enjoying a good joke, as a slithering noise was heard, and before the girls could react, thorny vines grabbed them by the limbs, wrapping tightly around their bodies, the thorns cutting into their skin, causing blood to flow out. "W-what is this!?" Mina already began to feel weak as the thorns snaked their way around her body. "I..I can't feel my own energy..." "That is correct!" The voice replied, almost jovially. "The moment you fell into this room, your energy was slowly being drained. These thorns, however, are able to get the job done much faster. They aren't even particular about what kind of energy they absorb. Reishi, Yōki, Eterano....any kind of energy that exists, these vines can absorb and thrive on. By this point, you all are well below half energy!"'' "Ngh..!" Mina groaned as the vines snaked their way around the girls, and raised them into the air, spread eagled. ""Toodle-oo!" Marin struggled around; for all she could do, there...wasn't much she could do about this sticky situation. The vines quickly curled around her delicate legs; constricting tighter as her skin complexion became redder. "Aaaaaaaaaaah~~!!" The groping snakes lightly squeezed her tender places, feeling moist as they slowly brushed across Marin's skin; she turned away in disgust. Meanwhile, Melissa was flailing around like a stubborn child; screeching like a banshee. "...GET THESE DOOHICKEYS OFF ME!!!" She tried to bite into one; but all it did was sour her tastebuds. "...Stupid things...!!" Kisara grimaced; the vines slowly wound their way around her arms and legs, creeping up her snow-white skin. These tentacles were incredibly slimy, the moment they made contact with her skin, it caused her to shudder. This whole situation was like something out of a hentai anime, with their naughty tentacles. Being suspended like this, Kisara felt incredibly ashamed, screaming at the group, "Avert your damn eyes! This is goddamn embarrassing!" Modest Royalty "Ragna-sama." A very effiminate man with neck-length blonde hair and an innocent face, decked out in what appeared to be military gear, took his place in a kneeling position at a large throne. He was the source of the voice that girls had heard. A man with short, spiky hair, and dressed in rather plain garb for a king, what looked like black jeans, dull shoes, and a long black overcoat with a raised collar and a open chest, strapped together by powerful bindings, was resting his face on his balled up fist, and peeked out of one eye towards the man. "Oh, Richard. Didn't I tell you not to be so formal with me? Are we not friends?" "Of course!" Richard cracked a wide smile. "But, whenever I'm too friendly, you get cold and distant, Ragna, and it makes me feel-" "Don't!" Ragna interrupted him. "You can have your melodrama later, I assume you have something important? I'm not deaf to the goings on outside my castle." "Of course~" Richard spun on his heel for a moment, speaking with a sing-song voice. "I just captured four humans, and would you look at the clock, it's almost dinner time!" Ragna sighed. "I do suppose this beats what we had actually planned on eating." He groaned, rising from his seat like he was some old man. "How have you detained them?" "The vines, of course~!" Rcihard chuckled. "Their energies are already nearly gone, and the thorns are causing them to bleed out which will drain the juices." It was odd how they were walking and talking about exactly how they were planning to eat four human girls. "You do think of everything." Ragna himself let out a chuckle as they made their way down to the basement, opening the doors to see the girls, still bound by the thorny vines, blood dripping everywhere, and they themselves seemed to be slipping in and out of consciousness. "They do all look delicious." "...This is?" Marin could barely see a thing- much less make out the certain features of the two. "....Looks like a stereotypical boring-as-heck seinen hero and some guy straight out of a yaoi manga..." Of course, this was insulting, no matter what context it had. Kisara twitched slightly; noting in a completely unfazed tone, "I've seen enough smut to know where this is going..." Ragna walked over to each of them, and flicked their foreheads hard. "Humans never cease to amaze. Nearly dying, and yet they have the energy to bark back." "It would appear, however, that those other two are down for the count~" Richard gestured wildly towards Melissa and Marin, who were no longer moving. "Shall we cut them into pieces first? There's so much here, we can't ''possibly eat it all, I suppose we'll store the rest away." Marin whispered in an almsot desparate manner, "...W-What...!?" If she could get out of these vines; she'd hand them their backsides. "Cut that one's throat." Ragna ordered lazily, simply to keep her quiet, and Richard drew out a knife, walking towards Marin, and raising her head upwards to reveal her neck. He raised the gleaming weapon to the girl's neck, pressing the edge onto the flesh. "...Actually wait." Richard turned on the spot, flashing his superior a look of obvious disappointment. Ragna was staring at Mina, looking at her as if he recognized her. "This one...." Marin could only whisper a half-assed, "...Ehhh?" she was shocked, more than anyone, at this turn of events. Ragna let out a bark-like laugh, before moving his hand through his hair. "Oh this is quite fortuitous." He snapped his fingers, and in that instant, the vines came undone, releasing the forms of Mina, Melissa, Marin, and Kisara, much to Richard's dismay. Ragna then placed his hands on the ground, releasing what appeared to be a shock of energy, manpulating the blood of the girls, and returning it to their bodies, freshly oxygenated and their wounds were also patched by this method. He then sat down, kicking his feet up on a table. "Now...let's see who rises first." "R-Ragna..." Richard looked at him with glistening, teared up eyes. "Why did you do that?!" He actually seemed like he was about to cry. This was a demon? "I've taken an interest in the black-haired one." Ragna waved it off, as if he had more to say later. "We can find other humans later." Kisara's dark brandings seemed to glow a light-grey; as she found herself regaining full consciousness. "...The hell kinda bastards eat people...wasn't cannibalism outlawed?" "You aren't our species." Ragna replied simply. "Not even the halfling over there, who I can still smell the traces of human on her flesh, is truly considered one of us. You humans enjoy a good hamburger once in awhile, do you not? It's the same thing. Humans are lower on the food chain than we are, and we devour them with abandon. Besides, all of you smell delicious." Richard whimpered in disappointment, but Ragna sighed. "Calm yourself. I get you're disappointed, but I'll personally find you a new meal myself." Richard seemed to cheer at this thought. Marin slowly opened her eyes completely, and looked at the duo with an expression of disgust. "...Uck. That's...horrible. But...you're one of the Three Makai Kings, right?" She looked at Richard. "It's you, right?" "No, you've got it all wrong!" Richard denied these accusations with vigor. "How could someone with a face this innocent, eyes this wide, and such great fashion sense-" he actually turned on the spot to display his military-esque uniform and the strange fur-coat he wore over it "-be a demon King of the Makai?" Ragna let out an exasperated sigh. "You've got it all wrong kid. The king you're looking for would be me." Kisara's healing continued, pointing out, "It's always the scarier looking guy who's the boss, you fool. How could you not see that?" Mina's eyes started to stir as well, warmth and feeling rushing back into her body as she sat up, flexing her fingers. "I'm...alive?" "That's correct." Ragna replied, now turning his gaze to this girl. "We've decided, in fact, that we will not eat you." "You were going to eat us!?" Mina jumped in place for a minute, thouroughly shocked. As she had been unconcious the whole time, it was understandable. "Yes. You are humans, after all." Ragna was getting tired of explaining this. "Now..wake your weaker friend-" he gestured towards Melissa, who was still unconcious. "-and do tell us why you are here." Wandering over to Melissa, Kisara lightly tapped her in the side with her foot. "Oi, wake up. And no, we're not dead, so you're fine." Melissa's eyes snapped open; "WHO WHAT WHEN WHERE WHY?!" She was in a daze; cuckoo birds were flying around her head; as she asked, "Who are these guys?" Marin bluntly informed her, "Demons," she turned to the duo. "We're here on orders from Mashiro Sawashiro, my- no, a Demon King. We were supposed to assass- ask you a question. That is, will you form an alliance with Mashiro?" "No." Ragna answered, and the answer was short and swift. "The Makai, as it is, is perfectly fine divided between three kings. And to be perfectly honest, I bar no ill will towards Mashiro, nor do I bear any ill will towards Stolas. In fact, I wish them nothing but the best. However, if I was to form an alliance with your sister, yes, I'm no fool, you have the same scent as that woman, it would upset the balance. In fact, you could even say your sister herself is pushing the threat of war by trying to upset a balance neither myself, nor Stolas, wishes to see broken." Kisara sighed, "He really has a good point. I know how ironic this is, but shouldn't all of you form an alliance in order to lead the Makai to a better future? It'd make more sense than being in an eternal stalemate. Or perhaps I'm too idealistic." "I don't know much about demons, or the supernatural, but perhaps it'd be best to leave 'em be, you guys. It's worked since the Makai was formed- why wouldn't it continue to work now? I assume they'll team up if there's a greater threat, though. Sometimes change isn't better, ya'know~?" Melissa chimed in; she was right in a sense. "So, do we leave, or what? Since I can't change your mind...and we can't beat you into submission...It seems that this was kind of pointless..." Marin let out an irked sigh, noting that Mashiro would be mad when they get back. "Unless you intend to stay for dinner, I do suppose you should leave." Ragna groaned, standing up. "However, you four interest me, particularly the young Quincy." He pointed at Mina, who flashed him a rather surprised look. "So, I will answer, at this moment, anything you all want to know. Please don't waste the opportunity to find out information from a mind that has literally existed before humans programmed Pokémon. Kisara nodded. "I understand. But...one thing I must ask. Do you know anything about a woman known as Juanita Rodriguez?" "Juanita!" Richard gasped, sounding actually a tad like an angry cat. "That...that...thing!" "Richard, calm down." Ragna felt like he'd been saying that was awhile. "I'm aware of who Juanita is, though, when I met her a good half a century ago. She was originally human, but, due to a wish, she became a demon." "A wish?" Mina's ears perked up at this. The possibility to become a demon...she'd actually been tossing it over in her head, since it would let her live with Marin forever. "That's right. How many of you are aware of something called the Dark Tournament?" Ragna decided to pose the question to these girls, but doubted any would know what it was. "Oh, I know that. It's a pretty much illegal tournament run by some of the richest men in the world for the pure amusement of seeing demons fight to the death. There are no rules, no ways to refuse, so once you're invited, you either win or die. It's very rare to see a human take part in it, only powerful psychics really seem to gravitate towards that." Mina sounded now more like a student who swallowed a textbook purely for one subject than she did like herself. "C-correct." She had actually managed to throw Ragna off at this, but he regained his composure. "Well, around 50 years or so ago, Juanita, as you call her, won the tournament, and her wish, made real by the tournament executives, was to become a demon. This was her chance, you see, to gain the power she desired the most. She then spent the rest of her time, as far as I know, seeking out the blade Muramasa. I'm actually unsure whether or not she has it, but the blade itself is the center of human and demon lore alike." Marin took all of this information in; nodding as the two explained. "....Do you know how we can kill her? She's clearly a monster..." "The most efficient way? Chop off her head and light the body aflame." Ragna shrugged. "We don't have beating hearts, the few of us who actually still have them, they're simply vestigial structures, so standard ways you could kill a human don't apply to us." He seemed to think of something. "Richard, I think we'll crush the humans hearts when we go out to eat." He then turned back to the girls as if he hadn't just said that, though their horrified faces showed they had heard every word, and kept speaking. "So the head, where the brain is located, is should best be removed, and to prevent any...reattachment, burn the body." Kisara did off-handedly mention, "Sounds like a vampire...of a particularly bizarre ''kind." She was right, in a rather humourous sense." "Ragna-sama!" A young demon woman burst into the basement, and the man turned on his heel. "You have an urgent call up in the throne room!" Ragna's eyes narrowed. "Urgent? From whom?" "Stolas." She gasped, and Ragna immediately took her hand and helped her out of the way. "Richard, you four, come with me. Ayami, you can recover your breath here and then resume your duties." The woman nodded, attempting a bow as she took a seat. Ragna began to ascend the stairs, Richard at his heels. Mina shrugged. "May as well." She and the girls followed him up the winding staircase into the vast, expansive throneroom, and were initially shocked by how beautiful it looked. Given Mashiro's preference for stone structures, they had expected something less impressive, but...this ''was a city of chrome after all. Ragna pressed a button and a holographic monitor appeared. On it was a young little girl with black skin, a gray face, and long brown hair, dressed in what appeared to be a kimono. "Oh, hello Maka-chan!" Ragna sounded a little enthusiastic, if surprised, to see the girl on the other end of the line. "I thought Stolas was calling. Is something wrong?" "Well...my daddy is away right now, so he left me in charge but...I think I need your help!" The girl, Maka, sounded a abit desperate. It made sense, a little child having to rule a country, she was probably a bit confused on how to handle everything. "What's wrong kid?" Ragna's eyes narrowed, as if he was thinking hard on something. "Is something happening to you?" "Not...me in particular..." Maka frowned. "There's a crack in the sky..." She sounded very much like the child she was, scared of the crack in the sky because she didn't know how to handle it. "I'm not sure what to do here, and daddy isn't here to help sort it out..." "A crack...in the sky..." Ragna frowned, rubbing his chin. "That's not good at all. Don't worry Maka-chan, I'll send over four new recruits, very trusthworthy newbies. They'll do their best to help you out until I can figure out exactly what this means. I'll convene with Mashiro to dicuss this. If it's a crack in the sky down here, it's not just going to affect you, it will spread and that won't be good." "Alright!" The girl sounded much more reassured by this. "Thank you Uncle!" She hung up just as Mina realised who exactly Ragna had signed on for the job. "Wait...us? You want us to go check this out?" She walked over to him, looking him up in the eys, their matching red-eyes meeting as she looked like she wanted to slap him. "Why us? We don't know you..or her for that matter, I'm still not fond of this place in general and-" "Either you help her, or I eat you all." Ragna said flatly. Marin glanced at the trio of her companions in shock. "Er...that's...convincing, I guess...Alright, let's go!" Richard escorted the girls out with quick directions towards Maka's city,and then walked back into the throne room. "Ragna...if you don't mind my asking, why didn't we eat those girls?" "Ragna chuckled. "She reminds me alot of her..." His eyes seemed glazed over, as if lost in a place where everything was perfect. "She's going to be quite the handful...this grandchild of mine." END